Dynamic Response of Metallic Y-Frame Core Sandwich Panels Subjected to Air Blast Loading: Numerical Investigation

In this paper, the dynamic response of metallic Y-frame core sandwich plates subjected to air blast loading was investigated by employing the LS-DYNA software. The blast wave was generated by the directly detonation of TNT explosives. The deformation/failure modes and associated structural response were identified and analyzed in detail. Main attention was paid to explore the effects of face sheet thicknesses and core web thickness on the deformation response of Y-frame core sandwich plates. A comparison on the blast performance were drawn among the Y-frame core sandwich panel, corrugated core sandwich panel and solid plate in equal areal mass. Numerical results revealed that the Y-frame core sandwich panel experienced indent deformation in the front face, strut buckling in the core and large bending deformation in the back face under the stand-off distance of 100 mm. Increasing the face sheets and core web thicknesses could improve the blast performance of Y-frame core sandwich panels. The deflections of face sheets were sensitive to the variation of front face sheet and core thicknesses. Moreover, Y-frame sandwich panel has comparable anti-blast capacity with the corrugated counterparts and exhibits superior blast resistance than the solid plate.